Cristiano Ronaldo wins fifth Ballon d’Or, levels Messi

Paris [France]: Real Madrid forward Cristiano Ronaldo has grabbed the prestigious fifth Ballon d’Or of his career to match Barcelona talisman Lionel Messi’s record haul.

The Portuguese star was awarded the trophy in a ceremony in Paris on Thursday night.

Ronaldo was followed by Lionel Messi and Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) forward Neymar in the 2017 Ballon d’Or ranking.

The 32-year-old took home the prize after he netted 42 goals in the 2016-17 period to take Real Madrid to a La Liga and Champions League double, reports Goal.com

This was the second consecutive year when Ronaldo has won the award presented by France Football. Earlier, he had clinched the trophy on four other occasions- in 2008, 2013, and 2014.

Ronaldo was also being named Fifa’s Mens World Player of the Year in October. (ANI)